Minnesota -- Taja Will

Minnesota – Taja Will
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Taja Will, born in Chile, raised in Iowa, currently lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Taja's artistic endeavors explore a fusion of interdisciplinary art, as she is a choreographer, dancer, teacher, composer, vocalist, and activist. The content of her work is formed by the context of society to communicate experiences, ideas, and emotions and probes questions around social consciousness to gain a better understanding of societal patterning. She aims to investigate the performative body as vehicle for social activism, through the techniques of dance, music, and theatre.

Taja has performed, shown work, and choreographed at her alma mater Luther College in Iowa, where she is known for her innovative choreography for opera and musical theatre. She has also been an artist with the Black Earth Collaborative Arts Company, Cedar Rapids Opera, with Dance Art Group's Seattle Festival for Dance Improvisation, and at 2008 Foro Performatica where she was a featured panel presenter, and had the world debut of her solo from THIS IS(yoursixo'clocknews).

Taja is active at Zenon Dance School, as a part of the contact improvisation community, and works at the Brave New Workshop, a leading company and institute of sketch comedy and improvisation.In addition to her college mentors, Taja has found the work of many established and internationally know artists inspirational in her career and has worked with Nancy Stark Smith, Roni Koresh, Melecio Estrella, Andrea Olson, John and Anna Dixon, Morgan Thorson, Kristen Van Loon, Mary Reich, Eva Karcgaz, Yoshito Ohno, Body Cartography and Miguel Gutierrez among many other established and emerging artists. Taja often creates work with the collaborative ensemble she founded, The Vehicles of Peace. In 2009 Taja and the Vehicles of Peace will be showing work at 9x22 at the BLB, KInetic Kitchen at Patricks, in Mexico at Foro Performatica, and in various site specific venues in Minneapolis.